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Forming a Tangible Relationship with Virtual Assets

In this age of digital assets, Airbnb, an accommodation company doesn’t own a single hotel; Uber, a transportation phenomenon, doesn’t own a single taxi; YouTube doesn’t own a single production studio.

What these companies do have are Digital Assets: the collection of software, images, videos, algorithms, and documents on their websites that has enabled them to grow phenomenally, providing a service that people readily pay for.

Increasingly, users are looking for an “immersive” experience before they buy a product or service. For example, real estate agents offer 360° views of the property online to prospective buyers, Google and Bing maps provide street, bird’s-eye, and satellite views of a property. High end clothing chains provide an online “Fitting Room” where customers can try their merchandize.

All of the above is made possible with digital assets: images, videos, snazzy animations, attractive brochures and such. And increasingly, the business value is driven by an intelligent, intuitive organization and presentation of a company’s products and services using digital assets: in the cacophony of digital free for all, if your digital marketing isn’t heard or seen, your business may not grow!

However, creating high quality, engaging digital assets is harder than it may seem. It requires a seemingly magical mix of artistic, technical, and marketing skills to develop and nurture the right visual identity for a business, and it will cost time and money.

And creating digital assets is just part of the story. As digital content around us increases exponentially, managing digital assets (think digital rights, security of digital assets, technical requirements and many more issues) is becoming an arduous, complex task. If not thought through, and not well integrated with rest of functions, chances are digital asset management will eventually create costly embarrassments for a business. And it’s not a one-time effort either: it has to be sustained over the life of the business, in synch with ever evolving market tastes and preferences as well as incessant social chattering of ideas and opinions.

So, what is a business to do in these social “rich” media times? Create, embrace, protect, and present digital assets related to its ideas, products, and services like no one else. For example, companies as diverse as CNN, Amazon, IKEA, and others have several visually integrated channels (website, advertisements, product demos, and social media) where they continually release fresh content based on a variety of feedback mechanisms. That keeps these organization’s products and services relevant and engaging in their customer’s minds.

To make things easier, several technology products and services are available that bring structure and security to digital asset management. However, organizations still have to go through a complex process of evaluating, selecting, and installing products and services.

A picture says a thousand words; a video can bring ideas, products, and services to life. Together with a catchy copy, a business should continually visualize how best their digital content can emotionally connect with its customers, and see the relationship bloom!